Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): La licuadora se descompuso y seguimos cortando a mano. - The blender broke down and we keep cutting by hand.

It makes the verb pronominal/intransitive, giving the meaning “broke down/stopped working” for an appliance. It’s not truly reflexive; it’s a middle/passive-like use common with inanimate subjects. Without se, descomponer is transitive (“to break something down”).

Can I say "La licuadora descompuso" without "se"?

No. Descomponer without se normally needs a direct object (e.g., El golpe descompuso el motor). To say “the blender broke down,” you need se: La licuadora se descompuso.

Is "se descompuso" the same as "se rompió"?

Close but not identical.

Se descompuso / se dañó / se averió / se malogró (Peru) / se arruinó (Central America): stopped functioning (mechanical/electrical failure).
Se rompió: broke physically (cracked/snapped). For a blender, se rompió often suggests the jar/blade broke; se descompuso suggests the motor failed. Informal/vulgar in some places: se fregó / se jodió.

What tense is "descompuso"?

Preterite, 3rd person singular of the irregular descomponer (like poner):

yo descompuse, tú descompusiste, él/ella descompuso, nosotros descompusimos, ellos descompusieron.

Why does "seguimos" look like present? How do I know it’s past?

For many -ir verbs, the nosotros form is identical in present and preterite. Seguir has:

Present nosotros: seguimos (we continue)
Preterite nosotros: seguimos (we continued) Context decides. Since the first clause is preterite (se descompuso), seguimos is read as past.

What does "seguir + gerund" mean here?

Seguir + gerund means “to keep on/continue doing” something. Seguimos cortando = “we kept cutting.” Don’t say seguir a + infinitive for this meaning; seguir a means “to follow” (Seguí a Juan).

Why use "seguimos cortando" instead of just "cortamos"?

Seguimos cortando highlights continuity: you were already cutting and, despite the problem, you kept doing it. Cortamos a mano simply states what you did, without that “kept on” nuance.

What does "a mano" mean here?

“By hand, manually.” It’s a fixed phrase with a. Examples: lavar a mano (wash by hand), hecho a mano (handmade). Note: la mano is feminine, even though it ends in -o, but there’s no article in this set phrase.

Is an object missing after "cortando"? What are we cutting?

Spanish can omit a direct object when it’s clear from context. If you need it:

Before the verb: Lo seguimos cortando a mano.
Attached to the gerund: Seguimos cortándolo a mano. Keep the accent in cortándolo.

Would "picar" or "triturar" be better than "cortar" here?

Depends on the action:

picar = to chop (kitchen context, small pieces). Very common: Seguimos picando a mano.
triturar / licuar = to grind/purée/blend. If you tried to approximate blending manually: Seguimos triturando a mano.
cortar is neutral “to cut” and works, but cooks often say picar.

Is "licuadora" the usual word everywhere?

In most of Latin America, yes: licuadora = blender. Regional notes:

Spain: batidora or batidora de vaso for a countertop blender; batidora de mano for immersion.
“Juicer” is exprimidor or extractor de jugo, not licuadora.

Is "Se descompuso la licuadora" also correct?

Yes. With this kind of pronominal/intransitive verb, placing the subject after the verb is very common: Se descompuso la licuadora. Starting with La licuadora just topicalizes it. Both are fine.

What about "Se nos descompuso la licuadora"? How is that different?

That’s the “accidental se” with a dative of interest (nos). It means “the blender broke on us,” emphasizing we were affected but not at fault. Very idiomatic: Se me/te/le/nos/les descompuso la licuadora.

Could I replace "y" with something else? And why not "e" instead of "y"?

Alternatives shift nuance:

Así que: La licuadora se descompuso, así que seguimos cortando a mano. (result)
Pero: La licuadora se descompuso, pero seguimos cortando a mano. (contrast) Use e instead of y only before words beginning with an i-/hi- sound (padre e hijo). Here the next word is seguimos/cortando, so y is correct.

Do I need to say "nosotros"?

No. The verb ending -imos in seguimos already encodes “we.” Spanish normally drops subject pronouns unless needed for emphasis/contrast.

Could I use the present perfect instead: "La licuadora se ha descompuesto"?

Grammatically yes. Usage varies:

Latin America: preterite (se descompuso) is preferred for completed past events, even recent ones.
Spain: present perfect (se ha descompuesto) is more common for recent past with present relevance. Both are understood.